river and damaged the roads that
there was no direction from which supplies could be drawn in wagons of
sufficient quantity to be of any very great assistance, had the rebels
only held the Une of communication by rail. Our whole command had to be
placed at once on half rations. Over 3,000 wounded soldiers were in
camp and hospital, suffering and dying for want of proper food and
nourishment. Forage for the animals could not be procured, and more than
10,000 died in and about Chatteraugus. One-third of the artillery horses
died, and the remainder were unfitted for service.

"Biggs had cut off a train of supplies of medical stores for the
wounded, and the ammunition of our army was reduced to the minimum.
In the battle of Cherokee Run the men had thrown away and lost their
blankets, so they were exposed to the hot sun and the chilly nights,
without blankets, tents, food, or any of the comforts that even soldiers
usually enjoy in the field. When Rosenfelt started on the campaign his
order was to take but one blanket to each man, and no overcoats. In this
condition they could not retreat. They seemed doomed to surrender at no
distant day.

"The enemy well knew the condition of our troops, being in possession of
the route to our depot of supplies, and the one by which re-enforcements
would reach our army. They apparently held our forces at their mercy.
For these reasons the enemy deemed it unnecessary to assault and lose
lives in an attempt to take what seemed secure. All that Biggs had to
do, as he thought, was to wait, and Chatteraugus would fall into his
hands without a struggle. Starvation would soon force terms, as retreat
or re-enforcements were considered alike impossible. No other portion of
our armies was reduced to such a terrible extremity during the war.

"This was the situation of the Army of the Center when Gen. Silent took
command of it. Biggs had sent his cavalry to the interior to watch all
movements on our part, and especially to prevent supplies from being
brought to or concentrated anywhere for our almost famished soldiers.
Weller and Lawting, in command of the rebel cavalry, captured and
destroyed in the Sewatch Valley 1,000 wagons loaded with supplies. They
also captured 700 wagons at Macklinville, with about 1,000 prisoners,
and at the same time destroyed millions of dollars of other property.

"Gen. Silent had just arrived at Nashua, and, finding that the raiders
were burning wagon trains and rail